Locations #1

The Zittau Trade and Industry Association, the »Gewerbeverein« recognized before 1880 that craftsmen should also train their draughtsmanship and constructive abilities. Hence it quickly wanted to found a Sunday drawing school for the members of the individual building trades, as for the time being it was accommodated in the premises of the Gewerbeverein. In 1889 the school received its own building for 250 students. The demand for well-educated craftsmen grew rapidly, so it was decided to build a new, larger school to match this ever-growing demand. The Munich-based architect Max Wiederanders took over the planning; being the architect and the director of the trade school in Kerchenstein, and the director of the »Meisterschule für das Schreinerhandwerk München« (College for Master Carpenters in Munich) he was of the highest calibre. The trades school, which is still completely intact in its original form, was opened to the public in 1930. With its casual arrangement of the individual sections, respecting only its functions and rôles, it is much like the Dessau Bauhaus or the Bernau Bundesschule (Bernau Trade Union School) designed by Hannes Meyer and Hans Wittig. Even after renovation work, the quiet hallways are still decorated with the original china cabinets and the typical spherical lamps of the era.